Delhi NCR struggles against air pollution; 'very poor' to 'severe' AQI levels recorded in several regions

Delhi NCR AQI News: Delhiites struggled under a blanket of smog covering the city as the quality of air remained in the 'very poor' to 'severe' categories in several parts in and around the National Capital Region (NCR). The national capital woke up to an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 428 (severe) at 9 am. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the Delhi government will take all steps necessary if the situation worsens on account of adverse weather conditions. "We will strengthen all ongoing campaigns and actions to mitigate pollution," said Rai, stating that the Delhi government will ensure strict enforcement of pollution control measures under the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan to counter the deteriorating air quality in the city. The Delhi Environment Minister also said that the third phase of the Plan will not be imposed yet as the situation is expected to improve starting Friday.

A Summary of Air Quality Index (AQI) Readings in several regions in and around NCR

AQI readings from most neighborhoods in the national capital were in the severe category at 3 pm on November 14, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

These included Indira Gandhi Airport, Ashok Vihar, Dwarka, RK Puram, Okhla, IPO, North Campus and Chandni Chowk. 

Some of the regions where AQI levels were found to be in the 'very poor' category included Vasundhara and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, and Sectors 1, 62 and 116 in Noida, in Uttar Pradesh. 

Take a look at data spanning a few regions across the NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, as of 3 pm, Thursday: 

What do 'good', 'satisfactory', 'moderately polluted', 'poor', 'very poor' and 'severe' AQI categories indicate? 

• 0-50 - Good
• 51-100 - Satisfactory
• 101-200 - Moderate
• 201-300 - Poor
• 301-400 - Very Poor
• 401-500 - Severe

The Air Quality Index captures changes in the quality of air in a particular region over a given period factoring in several factors including the concentration of pollutants and their likely impacts on health.  

With inputs from agencies